You may love this car or hate it, but either way I’d put money on your having an opinion. The iX is instantly recognisable, polemic but unmistakable – a car people buy to communicate the size of their wallet, in no uncertain terms. It is not, in other words, a car for those who value subtlety.
With this midlife facelift BMW eschewed the chance to tone down the iX’s looks, but quite a bit has changed under the skin, notably new batteries. The most potent provides an official range of 426 miles. That’s important, because its somewhat disappointing range blighted our previous acquaintance with the iX.
Pros
- Smooth and quiet
- Roomy passenger cabin
- Beautifully finished interior
Cons
- So-so boot space
- Divisive styling
- Distracting touch-centric interior
Farther figure
The xDrive45 tested (replacing the previous xDrive40) doesn’t travel quite as far as the official range, although it has had a capacity boost of 30 per cent to 94.8kWh net – enough to provide an official range of 374 miles in the Sport version (or 367 miles in M Sport form, as tested), which should equate to a real-world range of 262 to 299 miles, depending on the weather.
Charging speeds have also been boosted; the two top-spec models can now charge at up to 195kW, this model at 175kW. So a 10 to 80 per cent charge will take 36 minutes at best, adding 198 miles in the process. Not the best charging speeds, but far from the worst.
As you might expect, none of this comes cheap. At £75,000 the iX is only £5,000 less than a Volvo EX90, which has two extra seats and greater equipment. An Audi Q6 e-tron is marginally smaller and, at £61,000-odd, the entry-level model undercuts the iX dramatically (although with a comparable specification that gap narrows markedly).
And electric cars are now liable to an “expensive car supplement” for vehicles sold at £50,000 and above (a threshold remaining at £40,000 for other cars), which means an extra £440 payable in years two to six, on top of the new £200 standard rate.
Bang on trend
You can see where your money goes once you climb inside. The iX has the ambience of a chic, avant-garde hotel bar, all high-end suede-effect fabrics and plush, high-density plastics.
It’s welcoming, too, with none of the aggression of the exterior; the dashboard, which slopes down meekly toward you, is set low, and together with the low belt line the result is an imperious view out.
As seems to be the way with most premium EVs nowadays, the majority of the ancillary functions are controlled via the touchscreen, which perches atop the dash along with the instrument binnacle. BMW has left an always-on climate control bar along the screen’s lower edge, but this can still be fiddly to use on the move.
What functions aren’t controlled through the screen menus must be actuated via touchpads on the floating centre console, which are fine, but distracting – you have to look down to check that your finger is landing where you require. You soon find yourself hankering for BMW’s famously slick switchgear from the past, such as the 1990s 5-Series.
What you won’t yearn for is passenger space. Indeed, there’s so much in the iX that you’ll barely know what to do with it. In the front, the floating centre console and the low dash mean the iX feels roomy and light. Even with both front seats set for tall adults, two more can sit behind them in the back with room to spare.
The boot is slightly less impressive. At 500 litres, it’s sufficient for your holiday luggage yet it’s perhaps not quite as vast as you might expect in a 4.9-metre-long car. An EX90 with the third-row seats folded down offers 155 litres more.
Easy rider
BMW has tweaked the suspension to cope with the extra weight of the new batteries; along with revised spring and damper settings, there’s a new hydraulic rear axle support bearing. The changes have resulted in a calmer ride quality than before; on motorways in particular, the iX settles to a hushed and almost mirror-smooth lope.
So good is it on a long journey, in fact, that you soon find yourself forgetting the divisive exterior styling.
Is it fast? Of course; it’s a modern, high-end EV, after all. Even the base model can accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.1sec. Should you feel the need for anything quicker, the xDrive60 will sprint to 62mph in only 4.6sec, while the M70 has 811 lb ft of torque and launch control which, when used in combination, will bludgeon you to 62mph in only 3.8sec.
In this entry-level form it’s pretty decent to drive, too; again, the suspension tweaks have lent the iX more agility, enabling it to better disguise its weight – although it never can entirely.
But it can now be flung through bends far more deftly than you might expect. There’s a lovely predictability to the steering and the way the nose reacts that give you confidence to really lean on the iX’s copious levels of grip.
And if you feel particularly playful, selecting the raciest driving mode allows more power to the rear axle, at which point you can get it to slip its tail wide in slippery corners. Will iX drivers ever do this? Probably not. But in a BMW, it’s nice to know you can.
The Telegraph verdict
The midlife revisions have kept the iX close to the front of the premium EV pack. It’s sublime on a long-distance trip, with a level of comfort and isolation few other cars can match.
Its small boot holds it back, and the price is still quite hard to swallow. But the roomy, beautifully finished interior makes it a fabulous place to while away the miles, while the new batteries provide a much-needed improvement in range.
Those who love its looks – and that’s more people than you might imagine – will find they are the cherry on top of a pretty compelling package.
The facts
On test: BMW iX xDrive45 M Sport
Body style: five-door SUV
On sale: now
How much? £75,405 on the road (range from £75,405)
How fast? 124mph, 0-62mph in 5.1sec
How economical? 3.5mpkWh (WLTP Combined)
Electric powertrain: 2x AC synchronous motor with 94.8kWh (net) battery, 175kW on-board charger, Type 2/CCS charging socket
Electric range: 367 miles
Maximum power/torque: 402bhp/516lb ft
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 22g/km (well-to-wheel)
VED: £10 first year, £640 next five years, then £200
Warranty: 3 years / unlimited miles
Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
Audi Q6 e-tron S Line Quattro
455bhp, 362 miles, £72,515 on the road
Slightly smaller but with a larger boot, yet plenty of passenger space. Not as luscious to sit in as the iX, but every bit as sweet to drive – and arguably better value.
Volvo EX90 Plus
333bhp, 351 miles, £80,160 on the road
Neither as fast nor as long-legged as the iX in this form, but the EX90 provides much greater room and just as lavish an interior for not much extra.